Introduction: This article tells the tragic murder of Yue Fei. As he defeated the Jin and neared recovering Kaifeng, Emperor Gaozong and traitor Qin Hui recalled him with twelve gold plaques. Fabricating charges, they killed Yue Fei in prison. His death became China’s greatest injustice, while he remains an eternal symbol of loyalty.
The Return of the Traitor and the Shift to Peace
In the winter following the establishment of the puppet state of Qi by Liu Yu, the Song official Qin Hui suddenly returned to the Southern Song capital of Lin’an from the Jin Dynasty. Having been captured alongside Emperors Huizong and Qinzong years earlier, Qin Hui had served as a military advisor to the Jin commander Wanyan Chang (Talan). Upon his return, he claimed to have killed his Jin guards and escaped. However, skeptics noted that he arrived with his wife Lady Wang, a large entourage, and substantial wealth – an improbable feat for a fugitive traveling thousands of miles through enemy territory. Many suspected he was a Jin spy sent to undermine the Song.
Emperor Gaozong (Zhao Gou), eager for news of his captive parents and his mother Empress Wei, summoned Qin Hui. Qin Hui quickly pivoted to politics, advocating for a policy of “Northerners rule the North, Southerners rule the South,” effectively suggesting the abandonment of northern territories. He whispered to the Emperor that peace could be achieved through Wanyan Chang, a pro-peace faction leader in Jin. Gaozong, who had never truly intended to recover lost lands and feared military success might destabilize his throne or provoke the Jin into killing his mother, was swayed. He appointed Qin Hui as Chancellor to lead peace negotiations. Although Qin Hui was briefly dismissed after offending the Emperor by suggesting even the Emperor (a northerner) should return north, the military successes of Song generals soon forced a change in strategy.
Military Victories and the Renewed Push for Peace
While the court debated, Song forces achieved significant victories. In Shaanxi, generals Wu Jie and Wu Lin, alongside Wang Yan and Liu Ziyu, defeated the Jin at Xiegu and Xianren Pass. In the east, Yue Fei’s forces terrified the enemy; General Niu Gao famously routed Jin troops simply by displaying the “Yue” banner. These defeats weakened the Jin, leading to the death of Emperor Taizong of Jin and the ascension of Emperor Xizong (Wanyan Dan). The new Jin regime abolished the puppet state of Qi and offered peace, demanding Song vassalage and tribute.
The Jin envoys explicitly stated they would only negotiate with Qin Hui. Consequently, Gaozong reinstated Qin Hui as Chancellor. This move sparked outrage among patriots. Official Hu Quan submitted a memorial declaring that Qin Hui intended to make the Emperor a vassal like Shi Jingtang and demanded Qin’s execution. Generals Zhang Jun and Han Shizhong also protested. Yue Fei, stationed in Ezhou, declared, “We share an irreconcilable hatred with the Jin; I vow to recover Henan and Hebei.” When Yue Fei met Gaozong, he bluntly stated, “Peace is unreliable; the Jin keep no faith. Chancellor Qin will be mocked by future generations.” This defiance cemented Gaozong’s and Qin Hui’s hatred for Yue Fei, viewing him as the primary obstacle to peace.
The Humiliation of the Shaoxing Treaty and the Second Invasion
In 1138, the Treaty of Shaoxing was signed. The Song agreed to become a vassal of the Jin, paying an annual tribute of 250,000 taels of silver and 250,000 bolts of silk. In return, the Jin “granted” the land south of the Yellow River to the Song. In a deeply humiliating ceremony, Qin Hui knelt before the Jin envoy to accept the decree on behalf of the Emperor, who was too afraid to do so himself.
True to Yue Fei’s warnings, the peace was short-lived. The pro-peace faction in Jin fell; Wanyan Chang was executed for alleged treason, and the hawkish Wanyan Zongbi (Wuzhu) seized power, tearing up the treaty and launching a four-pronged invasion to destroy the Song. Gaozong, having failed in his appeasement, was forced to authorize resistance. Yue Fei led the main counter-offensive from Ezhou, inspired by his famous poemMan Jiang Hong (“The River All Red”), lamenting the unavenged shame of Jingkang and urging his troops not to let their youth turn to white hair in vain. His son, Yue Yun, now a seasoned warrior wielding heavy iron hammers, joined the campaign.
The Great Victory at Yancheng and the Twelve Gold Plaques
The Yue Family Army marched north, reclaiming city after city. At Yancheng, they clashed with Wuzhu’s elite forces. Yue Fei ordered Yue Yun to lead the Beiwei and Youyi cavalry units, threatening execution if they failed. Yue Yun charged, fighting from dawn till dusk and securing a major victory.
Desperate, Wuzhu deployed his trump cards: the “Iron Pagodas” (heavy cavalry chained together in groups of three) and the “Flanking Cavalry” (light cavalry on the wings). Yue Fei, however, had prepared counters. Infantrymen used long swords and axes to hack at the horses’ legs, toppling the chained formations, while Yue Yun’s cavalry decimated the flanking units. Wuzhu, witnessing the destruction of his invincible army, wept, crying, “Since I began campaigning, I have never suffered such a defeat!”
Further battles at Xiaoshang Bridge saw the heroic death of General Yang Zaixing, who fought until his body was filled with so many arrows that two bushels of arrowheads were retrieved from his ashes. At Yingchang, Yue Yun, despite sustaining over a hundred wounds, led a bloody charge that again routed the Jin. Wuzhu retreated to Kaifeng, preparing to flee across the Yellow River, admitting, “It is easier to shake a mountain than to shake the Yue Family Army.”
Yue Fei advanced to Zhuxian Town, merely forty li from Kaifeng. Local militias and civilians rallied to support him, cutting off Jin supply lines. Believing the moment for total restoration had arrived, Yue Fei petitioned the throne to cross the Yellow River. Instead, Emperor Gaozong, fearing Yue Fei’s growing power and the potential collapse of future peace talks, issued twelve gold plaques in a single day, ordering an immediate retreat.
The “Maybe” Crime and the Martyrdom
Heartbroken, Yue Fei lamented, “Ten years of effort destroyed in a single day.” As his troops withdrew, weeping soldiers and desperate civilians begged him to stay, but Yue Fei, bound by loyalty to the throne, complied, helping civilians evacuate south.
With the army recalled, Qin Hui resumed peace talks. Wuzhu sent a clear message: “You can have peace, but Yue Fei must die.” Qin Hui, aided by officials like Moqi Xie, fabricated charges of insubordination and treason against Yue Fei, implicating Yue Yun and General Zhang Xun. Despite public outcry and the lack of evidence, the trial proceeded. When Han Shizhong confronted Qin Hui asking for proof of treason, Qin infamously replied, “Maybe there is” (Mo Xu You). Han Shizhong retorted, “How can ‘maybe’ satisfy the world?”
In late 1141, the great hero Yue Fei was poisoned in prison. Yue Yun and Zhang Xun were executed. This remains one of the most infamous miscarriages of justice in Chinese history. While the traitors sought to secure their peace, history has judged them harshly, while Yue Fei is eternally revered as a symbol of loyalty and patriotism.
Note
Southern Song & Jin
The Song ruled southern China; the Jin (Jurchen tribe) occupied the north.
Twelve Gold Plaques
Imperial emergency orders that forced Yue Fei to abandon victory and retreat.
Treaty of Shaoxing
A humiliating peace treaty that made Song a vassal of the Jin.
Yue Fei
The most revered patriotic general of the Southern Song, leader of the invincible Yue Family Army. Killed for opposing a shameful peace with the Jin.
Qin Hui
The chief traitor chancellor who colluded with the Jin and framed Yue Fei. Hated in Chinese history as a symbol of betrayal.
Emperor Gaozong (Zhao Gou)
Southern Song’s first emperor. He feared Yue Fei’s military fame and preferred peace over recovering lost lands.
Wanyan Zongbi (Wuzhu)
Top general of the Jin Dynasty, Yue Fei’s arch‑enemy, who demanded Yue Fei’s death as a peace condition.
Yue Yun
Yue Fei’s son, a brave young general executed alongside his father.
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